Halloween Memories: The Story Behind a Pumpkin

This photo, to some extent, speaks for itself. It’s Scooby Doo on a pumpkin! But there’s more behind it. This is, by far, the most proud I’ve ever been of a pumpkin. How did it come out this way?

October 29. Normally, we’re all gearing up for Halloween by decorating the house, getting the kids’ costumes ready, and buying bags full of sugar.

Not this year. This year, we were girding up for a monster Fall snowstorm.

Lo and behold, the weathermen nailed the prediction this time around. In Dover, MA, we received about 6 inches of snow. Normally, this would be a non-issue. However, this snow was incredibly dense. Worse still, many of the trees still bore their leaves. Worst of all: the ground was wet, not frozen, making the ground prone to uprooting.

When all was said and done, splintered trunks lay across streets, snapped branches dangled from broken power lines, and houses bowed under the weight of fallen oaks. Electrical power? Forget it.

Giving my son an appreciation of Scooby Doo is something I’ve always wanted to do. I figured this would be an ideal opportunity. With no power, there was no work to distract me, and I was able to dedicate three hours to my annual pumpkin. Dressed warm, huddled in front of the fire with my wife and 20-month old son, using kitchen utensils as tools, with a massive oak draped across our porch, I managed to create this pumpkin by using my son’s lunchbox as inspiration. Little Karsten even helped me — the first time the little man “carved” a pumpkin!

I’ll always remember this picture as more than a pumpkin.

Reposted from the Memoir Tree (www.memoirtree.com) blog, at this link.